Carriage return mechanism for record controlled embossing machines



Nov. 28, 1950 C. J. FITCH CARRIAGE RETURN MECHANISM FOR RECORDCONTROLLED EMBOSSING MACHINES Original Filed Feb. 26, 1947 4Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 6 Z yd e Jf'iich (fwd 9 {om AGENT Nov. 28, 1950c. J. FITCH 2,531,877

CARRIAGE RETURN MECHANISM FOR RECORD CONTROLLED EMBOSSING MACHINESOriginal Filed Feb. 26, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 RRIAGE RETURN MERIC INESPACE LPHABETIC Nmh 1959 c. J. FITCH CARRIAGE RETURN MECHANISM FORRECORD CONTROLLED EMBOSSING MACHINES Original Filed Feb. 26. 1947 4Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Clyde clF'z'iciz AGENT Nov 28, 1950 c. J. FITCH2,531,377

CARRIAGE RETURN MECHANISM FOR RECORD CONTROLLED EMBOSSING MACHINES 19474 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed Feb. 26

. INVENTOR. (Zyde JFEic/"i Patented Nov. 28, 1950 CARRIAGE RETURNMECHANISM FOR RECORD CONTRO MACHINES LLED EMBOSSING Clyde J. Fitch,Endicott, N. Y., assignor to International Business MachinesCorporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Originalapplication February 26, 1947, Serial No. 731,078. Divided'and thisapplication January 7, 1948, Serial No. 1,040

6 Claims. 1

This application is a division of my co-pending application, Serial No.731,078, filed February 26, 1947, for Record Controlled ActuatingMechanism for Embossing Machines.

The present invention relates to record controlled actuating ortranslating mechanism which, under the control of a suitable perforatedrecord medium, as for example, a strip of telegraphic type tape or aseries of Hollerith type record cards, serves to operate the keyboard ofan address plate-embossing machine.

Embossing machines of the type referred to above are generally termedreliefographs and were patented to W. E. Crane, May 11, 1897, PatentNos. 582,177 and 582,178, and have variously been improved and patentedto others, as Efor example, to R. Grieser, March 31, 1908, Patent No.883,399. Reliefographs of this type are somewhat in the nature oftypewriting machines wherein by the operation of a set of keyscorresponding to various letters, numbers or other characters, suchcharacters are embossed in relief upon a suitable printing surface ormember.

In these reliefographs there usually are a pair must be shifted aftereach impression in the manner of a typewriter carriage movement so thatthe impressions align to produce the de sired writing. There must alsobe a line shift of the plate to produce the usual succession of lines ofwriting. To facilitate a removable connection for the various addressplates in a printing machine, the plates are removably hinged togetherand by this means any plate can be removed and another substituted orthe two adjacent plates can be joined together. A construction of thiskind is illustrated in the patent to Grieser No. 866,928, datedSeptember 4, 1907, and also in the patent to F. De Minico, No.1,476,803, dated December 11, 1923,

The present specification deals principally with alterations to existingequipment in order to provide an automatic means for controlling theoperations of an embossing machine to emboss the metal plates under thecontrol of perforated record tape or cards- By means of this invention,the tape or cards may be punched at a central bossing machines of thecharacter briefly outlined above which, besides controlling the printingof characters by the embossing machines, also controls the advance orindexing and the return movements of the plate-retaining carriage.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel means forreturning the plate-retaining carriage to its initial or startingposition after each line of type has been printed on the plate and whichwill perform such a function in an efiicient manner so that the carriageis prevented from sudden abutment with the carriage limit stop, therebyprotecting the same and the plates carried thereby from damage. Thisfunction is carried out regardless of whether the carriage has beenadvanced to the full extent of which it is capable or whether it hasmade only a partial advance.

A similar and related object of the invention is to provide a means forreturning the plate-retaining carriage to its initial or startingposition by means of an accelerating motion which gradually increases toa maximum and then gradually decreases to a position of rest, therebypreventing sudden strains and stresses and consequent damage to thecarriage when moving from its initial position of rest as well as whenarriving in its final position of rest.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus forcontrolling the carriage return operations of an embossing machine andWhich,in turn, operates under the control of a tape or card translatingmechanism, together with a common motor drive for both the translatingand the control mechanism.

. Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the followingdescription and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,which disclose, by way of example, the principle of the invention andthe best mode, which has been contemplated, of applying that principle,

In-the drawings: i v

Fig. 1 is'a. fragmentary perspective View of a record controlledactuating or translating mech-' anism for controlling the operation of ametal address plate embossing machine. This view shows the translatingmechanism detached from the embossing machine and also shows the sameoperatively associated with a conventional tape reading unit by means ofwhich the translating mechanism is in turn controlled.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a conventionalembossing machine showing the movable carriage thereof, together withthe operating connections existing between the latter and the presenttranslating mechanism including both the key depressing means and themeans by which the plate-retaining carriage is returned to its initialposition preparatory to successive plate-embossing operations.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the translating mechanism with itscover plate removed. In this view, certain parts have been broken awayto more clearly reveal the nature of the invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed fragmentary view of an electromagneticpermutation bar actuating means as employed in connection with thepresent invention.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line -5--5 ofFig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed fragmentary view showing analphabetic-numeric change-over mechanism employed in connection with thepresent invention.

Fig. '2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 1-'l ofFig. .6.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detailed perspective view of an anti-frictionblock employed in connection with the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an anti-friction guide element employedin connection with the present invention.

Fig. '10 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view, partly insection, of a carriage return mechanism employed in connection with theinvention, together with the clutch and cam actuating means therefor.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary detailed perspective view of a portion of themechanism shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 12 is a circuit diagram for a plurality of permutation magnetsemployed in connection with the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and particularly to Fig. 1, atape reading'unit of more or less conventional design is designated "inits entirety at H). The particular tape reading unit selected forpurposes of illustration in connection with the present invention is ofthe type shown and described in a patent to Mills, No. 2,320,788, datedJune 1, 1943, for a Telegraphic Tape Transmitter. This particulartransmitter is designed to accommodate standard Teletype tape utilizingthe conventional Teletype code. It will be understood, however, thatother 'forms of transmitters may be employed whether these transmittersoperate upon telegraphic tape, Hollerith type cards or other perforatedrecord media. Irrespective of the particular nature of the transmitteremployed, the essential features of the invention are at all timespreserved. The tape reading unit H! is adapted to receive a roll of tapT which has been prepunched with predetermined data,as for example, thenames, addresses, and any other subscriber data "which it is desired toemboss on a series of metal plates P contained in the hopper l2 of :aplate-embossi ig-l-inachine which is designated "in :its entirety a iThe plate-embossing machine [4 which the present translating unit isdesigned to control is of the type shown in the above mentioned patentto Grieser, No. 883,399, and reference may be had to this patent for afull description of the operation thereof. It is deemed suificient forthe purpose of understanding the present invention to state thatembossing operations take place under the control of a keyboard l5including both alphabetic, numeric and special character keys. Thecarriage ll of the machine 14 is slidably mounted upon guide rods l9 andis adapted to be advanced from the initial position shown in full linesin Fig. 2 to a final position shown in dotted lines. The carriage isadvanced or indexed for character spacin operations much in the mannerof a conventional type- Writing machine carriage and is adapted to bereturned to its full line position manually at the end of each lineembossing operation. When operated manually the carriage is moved backto its starting position by means of a knob (not shown herein) providedon the carriage. For line feeding operations a lever 13 is provided.

As stated above, the tape reading unit I0 is of conventional design andthus reference may be had to the above mentioned patent for a fulldisclosure thereof. This unit is adapted to receive the tape T in a reell6 from which it is Withdrawn and progressively fed past a sensingstation 18 wherein, by means of the use of sens- .in-g brushes and acontact roll (which appear diagrammatically in Fig. 12), certainelectrical circuits are established and by means of which electricalimpulses are applied to the control or translating unit 20 whichcomprises the present invention. These electrical impulses are appliedto a series of electromagnets employed in :connection with the presentinvention (and which will be described subsequently) to control theoperation of the translating unit and .to in turn ccamtrol the operationof the embossing machine I The tape reading unit l0 and also thetranslating unit-20 are both adapted to be driven from a common drivesource in the form of an electric motor M which operates through a gearreduction device 22 to continuously rotate a drive shaft .24 leading tothe tape reading unit It] and a drive shaft 26 leading to thetranslating unit .20.

Referring now to Figs. 3 to 7 inclusive, the translating unit 2!!involves in its general organization a base plate 3?) from which thereextends upwardly at opposite sides thereof a pair of side plates :ormembers :32 and '34 and between the forward lower regions of'which'there extends the previously mentioned shaft 126. the latterbeing lrotatably journaled in anti-friction bearings 36. On each of thestub shafts A2 and just inside the side plates 32 and 34 there issecured as at 38 a pair of bail cams d8, which are identical in designand in orientation, upon the shaft 26. A stub shaft 42 is mounted oneach of the side plates 32 and 34 and these'latter shafts serve tosupport thereon a pair of oscillatable or rockable bail supporting yokemembers M having generally upstanding arms 48 across which thereextends, and .to the upper ends of which there is anchored as at 23, aseeker lever restoring bail 50. The yoke members 44 are also formed withgenerally forwardly extending arms 52 having anchored thereto as at 54at their outer or free ends a seeker lever actuating ball 56. Theforwardly eggtending arms 52 are each'provided'with studs 58 on whichthere are mounted respectively cam followers in the form of rollers 60.

From the above description it will be seen that inasmuch as the shaft 26is continuously rotated under the influence of the motor M the rollers60, riding upon the cams ii), serve to impart oscillation or rockingmovement to the bail carrying yoke members 44, thus oscillating therestoring bail 50 and the actuating bail 56 continuously to and fro inan arcuate path. A pair of coil springs 6! are attached to lugs 63formed on the arms 52 and are anchored to studs 65 carried by the sideplates 32 and 34. These coil springs are of relatively heavyconstruction so that a very positive downward application of force isapplied to the actuating bail 56 during each cycle of oscillationthereof.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 5, supporting guide red 62 extendsacross the machine between the side plates 32 and 34 and is providedwith a series of spaced annular grooves 6 which are employed for guidepurposes and each of which receives therein the opposite edges of afork-like extension 66 formed on a seeker lever 68. Each seeker lever,of which there are in number one for each key of the keyboard [5 of theembossing machine i4, is formed of relatively thin sheet stock and isprovided with a downwardly extending portion 70 on which the previouslymentioned forked extension 66 is formed. Each lever 68 is also formedwith a generally horizontally extending portion 72, the forward end ofwhich is downwardly turned as at 14. Eachdownwardly extending portion Mis formed with a forwardly extending shoulder it designed forcooperation with the actuating bail 56 in a manner that will be madeclear presently. Each of the seeker levers 68 has secured thereto at itsforward end a tie rod 69 (see also Fig. 2) which is connected to one ofthe keys H of the embossing machine i4.

Each seeker lever 68 is provided in its medial region with an upwardlyextending finger 78 which extends above the general level of therestoring bail 5i and these fingers are designed for cooperation withthe bail 553 for the purpose of returning the seeker levers to aretracted position, as also will be described presently.

A square shaft or rod 89 extends across the side plates 32 and 34 andhas riveted or otherwise secured thereto as at 82 a comb-like member Mwhich is substantially coextensive with the rod 88 and the upper edge ofwhich has formed therealong a series of upstanding lugs 86 which serveas anchor points for the adjacent ends of a series of coil springs 88.The other ends of the springs 38 are each secured to a respective seekerlever 66 and thus all of the seeker levers are normally biased forwardlyfrom the retracted position shown in Fig. 5 to an advanced positionwherein the shoulder 16 thereof projects into the downward path ofmovement of the continuously oscillating actuating bail 56. Thecomb-like member 84 is provided with a series of downwardly extendingfingers or teeth 89 affording of; which, is generally .designated 'atvSill with the I 6 individual bars being designated at a, b, 'c, d, eand s reading from top to bottom as viewed in Fig. 6.

The bars a to e inclusive are herein referred to as code bars, while thebar s is termed a shift bar, all of the bars being known as permutationbars. The permutation bars a, b, c, d, e and s operate in common topermit selective operation of the seeker levers 68 in a manner common tosimilar permutation systems.

As stated above, the particular code which has been selected forpurposes of illustration in connection with this invention is theconventional Teletype code now widely in use. This code is a 5-line codeand certain code combinations represent alphabetic designations alone,while other code combinations represent jointly alphabetic as well asnumeric designations. For permutation purposes, therefore, the fivepermutation bars a through c inclusive are ample to accommodate thetwenty-six characters of the alphabet, as well as to accommodate specialcharacters such as the dash, hyphen, ampersand, etc. Because of the factthat the Teletype employs dual purpose characters, i. e., alphabetic andnumeric, it is necessary in the present instance to employ a sixthpermutation bar which is the shift bar s. The permutation bars a to einclusive are provided with a series of notches, such as are shown at 9|(Fig. '7), which are designed for selective registry with one another topermit the seeker levers 63 to move forwardly under the influence of thesprings 88 when, by the permutation system, selective shifting of thebars is resorted to."

The shift bar 5 is likewise provided with a series of notches havingintervening blocking edges to block the alphabetic seeker levers 68 whennumeric embossing operations are being resorted to and to block thenumeric seeker levers 68 when alphabetic embossing operations areresorted to. The permutation bars a to e and s extend across the machinein superimposed relationship as shown in Figs. 6 and '7, and have theiropposite ends sl'idably mounted in anti-friction cage assembliesdesignated in their entirety at 92. Each assembly involves in itsgeneralorganization a block or body portion 94 having upstanding sideportions 96 (Fig. 8). the rear vertical edges of which are slotted as at98 for reception therein of a. pair of cars I and I05 which are formedon a series of floating spacer strips I04, one 01 which is shown indetail in Fig. 9. The ear IE5 is somewhat elongated and is adapted toproject completely through one of the slots 98, as shown in Fig, '7,toprovide an attachment ear for one of a series of springs llll. Each ofthe springs He has its forward end anchored to an ear I08 provided on arespective permutation bar and thus it will be seen that the permutationbars 90 are all normally urged in the left-hand direction, as viewed inFig. 6, and in this retracted position the shoulders 16 of the seekerlevers 68 are with drawn from the downward path of movement of theactuating bail 56. The spacer strips HM are formed with opposedshoulders I01 at the sides thereof for the purpose 'of retainingtherebetween a series of ball bearings I06. These ball bearings arepositioned above and below the opposite ends of the various permutationbars 90 and form. antifIllCt-iOl'l members for ease of movement of thelatter.

From the above description it will be seen that thevariousmagnet-controlled permutation bars 90 have their ends journaled in theblock-4 by meansofanti-friction bearings,- thus making it 3 extremelyeasy to move these permutation bars under the influence of a series ofmagnets which will now be described.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, a magnet supporting rack I20, includingsupporting legs I22, a table portion I24 and a vertical wall portion126, is secured as at I28 to the base plate 39. The wall portion I26serves to support a series of five magnets collectively designated atI30 and arranged at different elevations 'on the wall portion 525 andbeing secured thereto by means of screws I32. A pair of spacer sleevesI34 are mounted on vertical bolts I35 and have clamped thereto at theirupper ends a cross bar I36. A series of vertical shafts I38 havepivotally mounted thereon respective armatures [49 for the variousmagnets I38. Each armature includes a. rearwardly extending finger I42which projects between a pair of lugs I46 mounted on the forward side ofone of the code bars a to e inclusive, as shown in Fig. 4, It will beseen that upon energization of one or more of the magnets I35 under theinfluence of circuits leading from the tape reading unit It! andoccasioned by passage of the tape T between the contact brush and rollat the sensing station It, the cooperating armature will be attractedand rocked in a clock wise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, to shift itsrespective code bar a, b, c, d or e, as the case may be, to the rightand effect registry of the various permutation notches 9! Formed alongthe rear edge of the code bars. Upon deenergization of the magnet I38its respective code bar will be restored to its initial position underthe influence of one of the springs I I0.

In order to selectively block the various slots formed in the code barsa to e inclusive to accommodate alphabetic or numeric embossingoperations on the plates P, the shift bar .9 is adapted to be moved inopposite directions by means of a generally U-shaped toggle member I50having an actuating finger I52 projecting upwardly therefrom andextending into a slot I54 formed in the shift bar s. The member I50 ispivotally mounted on a shaft I58 which in turn is supported from thesides of an inverted channel member I58 extending between the sideplates 32 and 34. The side of the toggle member I50 adjacent theinverted channel member I 55 is formed with a laterally projectingtoggle arm I60 and this memher is biased by means of a toggle spring I52for either of two positions of rest, 1. e., the full line positionthereof or the dotted line position. In the full line position, the codebar will be so positioned as to block the various seeker levers 68 fromentering such registering permutation notches 9i as will pertain tonumeric embossing operations. Similarly, in the dotted line position ofthe toggle member I55, the shift bar 3 will serve to block entry of theseeker levers I58 into such registering permutation notches 9| aspertain to alphabetic embossing operations. The side of the togglemember I55 remote from the channel member I58 is formed with a pair ofgenerally vertically extending slots I63 by means of which a pair of tierods E64 and I65, similar to the tie rods I59, are attached.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 5, it will be seen that the upper ends ofthe tie rods I54 and I65 are attached to the medial regions of a pair ofseeker levers in Fig. 3. The four left-hand seeker levers 63 arefunction levers, as distinguished from character-embossing levers, andhave been labeled Line Space, Alphabetic, Carriage Return and Numeric,reading from left to right. The line space seeker lever is attached byone of the tie rods 69 to the line space lever I3 of the embossingmachine. The carriage return seeker lever is attached in a manner thatwill subsequently be described to a latch member for initiating carriagereturn operations when a carriage return code combination is presentedby the tape at the sensing station. The alpha betic and numeric seekerlevers are not attached to the keyboard of the embossing machine, butinstead their selection by special code combinations in the perforatedtape T results in a movement of the shift bar s to one or the other oftwo positions. It is to be noted at this point that while the shift bar5 is so constructed as to selectively block entry of the seeker leverswhich pertain to alphabetic or numeric functions, this shift bar makesno provisions for blocking entry of any seeker levers which are notconcerned with embossing operations, as for example, the carriage returnseeker lever or the two seeker levers which control shifting of theshift bar itself.

With the tie rod I54 secured to the seeker lever labeled Alphabetic,when this latter seeker lever is projected forwardly and the shoulder I6engaged by the bail 56, depression of this lever will, through the tierod I64, cause the toggle member I50 to be moved in a counterclockwisedirection, as viewed in Fig. 6, thus preparing the apparatus forsubsequent alphabetic embossing control operations. Similarly, when theseeker lever labeled Numeric is moved forwardly and engaged by the bail56, depression thereof will operate through the tie rod I 55 to move thetoggle member I55 in a clockwise direction to prepare the apparatus forsubsequent niuneric embossing operations.

It is believed that from the above description Of parts the operation ofthe translating apparatus 29, insofar as selection of the variouscharacter embossing keys and function keys ll of the keyboard I5 for thepurpose of depressing the same, will be obvious. However, to facilitatean understanding of the invention, it may be stated that due to thecontinuous rotation of the bail cam 38, rocking movement will beimparted to the yoke member M, thus oscillating the actuating bail 55 sothat the same will have an effective vertical component of motion andalso oscillating the restoring bail 55 so that it will have an effectivehorizontal component of motion. Depending upon the position to which thevarious permutation bars are positioned under the influence of themagnets I30, 2. selected seeker lever 68 will be permitted to moveforwardly to its advanced position under the influence of its respectivecoil spring 88. If the selected lever 68 happens to be acharacter-embossing lever, depression of the same when the actuatingbail 56 engages the shoulder 76 thereof will thus depress the characterkey II of the keyboard I5 to which it is attached by the tie rod 69. Asthe actuating bail 5B performs its upward stroke, the restoring bail 58will perform its rearward stroke, thus bearing against the extension 78of the lever 58 and restoring the lever to its normal positionpreparatory to the next cycle of operation. The same actuation of seekerlevers 68 holds true whether these levers be character-embossing leversor function levers.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 10, the outer end of the shaft 2'6 justoutside of the side plate carries a pinion no which meshes with a largerpinion I12 mounted on a short shaft or stud PM carried on the side plate32. The pinion I12 has formed thereon-one element I16 of aone-revolution clutch designated in its entirety as I18. The clutchelement I16 has formed thereon a pair of diametrically opposed clutchteeth I11. The other element of the clutch I18 includes a carriagereturn cam I80 loosely disposed on the shaft I14 and having an inwardlyextending pin I82 eccentrically disposed thereon. An arcuate clutchlatching member I84 having a lateral tooth I85 associated therewith ispivotally secured to the pin I82 and is biased in a clockwise directionby means of a spring I86 surrounding the shaft I14. The teeth I11 formedon the member I18 are designed for cooperation with the tooth I85 inperforming the operative clutching functions of the one-revolutionclutch I18. The lower end of the arcuate member I84 is turned downwardlyas at I89 and is adapted to bear against the side of an elongated latchbar I90 (Figs. 3, and which is pivoted as at I92 to a bracket I93, thelatter being secured as at I94 to the base plate 30. The latch bar I90is connected medially of its ends by means of a tie rod I96 to theseeker lever 68 which has been labeled Carriage Return in Fig. 3. Theelongated latch member I90 is so positioned with respect to the arcuateclutch member I84 that this latter memher is normally maintained in sucha position that the tooth I85 thereof remains out of the path ofmovement of the teeth I11 formed on the continuously rotating memberI16. However, when the latch member I90 is depressed, the arcuate memberI84 under the influence of the spring I86 moves inwardly, thus allowingthe tooth I85 thereof to become positioned in the path of an oncomingtooth I11 so that When these two teeth become engaged the arcuatememberl84, together with the carriage return cam I80 on which it is mounted,will make a complete revolution. At some point during the revolution ofthe cam member I80, the elongated latch bar I90 will be restored to itsnormal elevated position so that the downwardly turned portion I89 ofthe arcuate member I84 may again engage the elongated latch member I90and terminate revolution of the cam I80.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 10 and 11, a cam follower 200 is pivotedon a stud 202 carried on the side plate 32. This member is shown indetail in Fig. 11 and carries at its lower end a cam roller 204 designedfor cooperat on with the carriage return cam I80. The follower 200 hasattached thereto one end of a spring 206, the other end of the springbeing secured to a stationary bracket 208 which in turn is secured as at209 to the side plate 32. The spring 206 serves to bias the follower 200in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 10, in such a mannerthat the cam roller 204 bears against the periphery of the carriagereturn cam I80. The cam follower 200 is provided with a generallyarcuate serrated edge 2 I 0 designed for cooperation with a square stud2I2 to effect carriage return operations in a manner that will becomeclear presently. The square stud 2 I2 is carried at the free end of acreeper link N4 of irregular contour and having an extension 2I6 formedthereon provided with an arcuate slot 2| 8 therein. A stud 220 carriedon the bracket 208 projects through the slot 2 I 8 and thus confines thecreeper link 2I4 in its movements. The creeper link 2I4 is provided witha second extension 222 having an attachment hook 224 formed at its outerend. The attachment hook 224 is connected by means of a tie rod 226(Fig. 2) to one end of a rocker '10 arm or pitman 228 which is securedmedially of its ends as at 230 to a stationary bracket 232 secured inany suitable manner (not shown) to a portion of the frame-work of themachine I4. A second tie rod 234 is connected to the other end of thepitman 228 and is also connected to the movable carriage I1 of theembossingmachine.

The arrangement of parts just described is for the purpose of effectingreturn of the carriage I1 to its initial position after a line ofembossing has been completed on one of the plates P undergoing embossingin the machine I 4. Carriage return operations commence whenever thecarriage return code perforations on the tape T arrive at the sensingstation I8. At this time an electrical circuit is completed to theproper magnets I30 so that the permutation bars 90 are actuated topermit the carriage return seeker lever 68 (so labeled) to moveforwardly and be engaged by the actuating bail 56. When this occurs, thetie rod I98 causes the latch bar I99 to be depressed in the mannerpreviously described and trip the one-revolution clutch I18. The contourof the cam I is such that it is possessed of a low region and a highregion, as is apparent from an inspection of Fig 10. When the clutch isfirst tripped, the cam roller 204 rides outwardly onto the high regionof the cam I80, thus tilting the cam follower 200 in a clockwisedirection, as viewed in this latter figure, and drawing the square stud2I2 to the right a distance commensurate with its elevation along theserrated portion of the cam follower. During step-by-step embossing thecarriage I1 of the embossing machine I4 is stepped or indexed along theguide rods IE to the right much in the manner of the indexing of anordinary typewriting machine carriage. As the carriage progressesstep-by-step to the right the pitman arm 228 is periodically indexed ina clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, thus drawing the hookedportion 224 of the creeper link 2M to the left, as viewed in Figs. 2 and10. This initiates a step-by-step movement of the creeper link as itpivots about the axis of the stud 220 which occupies a position on thecenter of the arcuate serrated edge 2H3 of the cam follower 200. Thecreeper link thus moves in such a manner that the square stud 2I2 creepsupwardly along the serrated edge 2I0 of the cam follower. If thecarriage I 1 is indexed to the full extent of which it is capable at theend of its stroke, the square stud 2I2 will have traversed the entirelength of the serrated portion 2I0 and will come to rest near the top ofthe cam follower 200. If then, at this time, a carriage return code onthe tape T is encountered at the sensing station I8,the cam I80 will gointo effect by virtue of release. of the one-revolution clutch I18, andthe square stud 2I2 will be pulled forwardly at a comparatively highrate of speed, thus restoring the carriage to its initial position witha simple harmonic motion which is of a decelerating nature and of largeamplitude. If, on the other hand, carriage return functions areinstituted while the square stud 2I2 is at an intermediate point alongthe serrated edge 2! of the cam follower 200, a similar mechanicalcarriage return function will take place and the carriage will bereturned to its initial position at a lesser but still decelerating rateof speed. In this manner, the carriage is prevented from forciblystriking the carriage stop and the former is thus effectively protec-'ted against damage. In a similar manner when 'motion which, atapproximately the mid-stroke of the carriage, attains a maximum speed,after which the carriage begins to decelerate until it arrives at itsfinal position of rest, as set forth above. By virtue of such anarrangement the carriage is protected against damage due to suddenstrains or stresses.

Once the carriage has been returned and the cam roller 204 has againreturned to the low portion of the cam I80, the cam follower 20B isrestored to its initial position and immediately upon counter-clockwisemovement of this follower the creeper link 25 3 falls by gravity to itsinitial position and the parts are restored to the positions in whichthey are shown in Fig. 10. During this latter movement of the creeperlink 2M, the slotted portion 2l8 thereof slides forwardly on the stud220.

It is to be noted that due to the fact that the number of teeth on thepinion H2 is twice the number of teeth on the pinion 518, thus creatinga 2:1 gear reduction, two cycles of operation of the tape reading unitH! are required to return the carriage from any intermediate position toits initial position. A carriage return code per- {oration in the tape Tis always followed by a line feed code which through the line feedseeker lever 68 (so labeled) depresses the line feed lever I3 of thekeyboard [5. As a safety measure to prevent movement of the carriagewhile the plate is being embossed, which may happen due to failure or toimproperly punched tape, a pair of normally closed contacts CP areadapted to be opened by forward movement of the carriage return seek-erlever 58. Toward this end, a contact assembly designated in its entiretyat 238 and including the contacts CP is secured to the side plate 3 2. Afinger 238 mounted on the extension 18 of the seeker lever 68 carries acam piece 240 designed for cooperation with a similar cam piece 262associated with the contacts CP, the cam pieces being so arranged thatforward movement of the seeker lever 68 will open the contacts andrearward movement of this seeker lever will permit closing of the same.

In Fig. 12 the circuit diagram for the permutation magnets E39 has beenillustrated. These magnets in addition to their group designation havebeen labeled a, b, c, d and e to correspond to the code bars whosemovements they control. At the sensing station 58 there is provided acontact roll shaft diagrammatically shown at 3| and having insulatedcontact sleeves 33 mounted thereon each designed for electricalcooperation with respective sensing brushes a, b, c, d and e and betweenwhich contact sleeves and sensing brushes the tape T is adapted to pass.The perforations in the tape are adapted to be sensed in the respectivecolumns thereof as the tape passes through the sensing station andcurrent issuing from one side of the line will, whenever one or moreperforations is encountered, flow through the corresponding sensingbrush or brushes to its respective contact roll or rolls and from thencethrough one or more of the magnets I30 and will then proceed through thecontacts GP to the other side of the line. Obviously, when the contactsCP are opened by virtue of the carriage return seeker lever 68 havingbeen moved to its advanced position as previously described,

assist? 12 "sensing operations will be discontinued until such time asthis lever is restored to its normal position.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out thefundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferredembodiment, it will be understood that various omissions andsubstitutions and changes in the form and details of the apparatusillustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in theart, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is theintention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope ofthe following claims.

What is claimed is:

1, In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with acarriage movable in steps in one direction from a fully retractedposition toward a fully extended position, of a carriage returnmechanism for returning the carriage to its retracted positioncomprising a rotary carriage return cam, record controlled means forrotating said cam throughout one complete revolution at predeterminedintervals, a cam follower mounted for turning movement about a medialaxis, a roller carried by said cam follower at one end thereof, meansnormally urging said roller into engagement with said cam, said followerhaving a serrated edge on the side of said axis opposite the roller, atiltable creeper link having a creeper element mounted thereon inregister with said serrated edge, and means operatively connecting saidcarriage and creeper link whereby indexing or advance movements of thecarriage will shift the position of said creeper link progressively tocause said creeper element to move upwardly progressively along saidserrated edge and to thus traverse the latter as said carriage movestoward its fully extended position, said rotary cam being operableduring any one revolution thereof to displace said roller and cause saidcam follower to actuate said creeper link and restore said carriage fromany position thereof to its normal position by a decelerating harmonicmotion, said creeper link being adapted to "be returned by the action ofgravity to its initialp'osition with the creeper element in registrywith said serrated surface adjacent the bottom thereof when said camapproaches the completion of its revolution.

2. In an apparatus of the character described,

the combination with a plate-embossing carriage movable in steps in onedirection from a fully retracted position to a fully extended position,of a carriage return mechanism for returning the carriage to itsretracted position comprising a generally upwardly extending leverpivoted for swingin movement about a horizontal axis, a tiltable creeperlink having a creeper element positioned in the path of movement of saidlever, means operatively connecting said creeper link and carriagewhereby advance movements of the carriage will cause said creeper linkto become shifted to cause the creeper element to progressively movefrom a lowered position substantially in the horizontal plane of thepivotal axis of the lever upwardly along an edge *of the lever to aposition adjacent the top of the lever,

and record controlled means for moving said lever about its axis in onedirection to impart movement to said creeper link in such a direction asto restore said carriage to its fully retracted position from anyintermediate position or from the fully extended position thereof by adecelerating motion.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with acarriage movable in steps in one direction from a fully retractedposition toward a fully extended position, of a carriage returnmechanism for returning the carriage to its fully retracted positioncomprising a generally upwardly extending lever pivoted for swingingmovement about a horizontal axis, said lever having a serrated edge, atiltable creeper link having a creeper element positioned in the path ofmovement of the serrated edge of said lever, means operativelyconnecting said creeper link and carriage whereby advance movements ofthe carriage will cause said creeper link to become shifted to cause thecreeper element to shift along said serrated edge from a loweredposition substantially in the horizontal plane of the pivotal axis ofthe lever upwardly to a position adjacent the top of said lever, andrecord controlled means for moving said lever about its axis in onedirection to cause the serrated edge thereof to positively engage saidcreeper element and move the creeper link in such a direction as torestore said carriage to its initial position from any intermediateposition or from the fully extended position thereof by a deceleratingmotion.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with acarriage movable in steps in one direction from a fully retractedposition toward a fully extended position, of a carriage returnmechanism for returning the carriage to its fully retracted positioncomprising a generally upwardly extending lever pivoted for swingingmovement about a horizontal axis, said lever having an arcuate frictionsurface formed thereon, a tiltable creeper link having a creeper elementpositioned in the path of movement of the friction surface of said leverand designed for frictional engagement with the same during carriagereturn operations, means operatively connecting said link and carriagewhereby ad- Vance movements of the carriage will cause said creeper linkto become shifted to cause the creeper element to move upwardly alongsaid friction surface from a lowered position substantially in thehorizontal plane of the pivotal axis of the lever to a position adjacentthe top of the lever, and record controlled means for moving said leverabout its axis in one direction to cause positive frictional engagementbetween the creeper element and friction surface of the lever to impartmovement to the creeper link in such a direction as to restore saidcarriage to its retracted position from any intermediate position orfrom the fully extended position thereof by a decelerating motion.

5, In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with acarriage movable in one direction from a fully retracted position towarda fully extended position, of a carriage return mechanism for returningthe carriage to its fully retracted position after it has been advancedtoward its extended position comprising a lever pivoted for swingingmovement about an axis and having a friction surface thereon, a tiltablecreeper link having a creeper element positioned in the path of movementof the friction surface and designed for frictional engagement with thesame during carriage return operations, means operatively connectingsaid link and carriage whereby advance movements of the carriage willcause the creeper link to become shifted to cause the creeper element tomove along said friction surface from a position adjacent the pivotalaxis of said lever outwardly of the lever, and record controlled meansfor moving said lever about its axis in one direction to cause positivefrictional engagement between the creeper element and friction surfaceof the lever to impart movement to the creeper link in such a directionas to restore the carriage to its retracted position from anyintermediate position or from the fully extended position thereof by adecelerating motion.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with acarriage movable in one direction from a fully retracted position towarda fully extended position, of a carriage return mechanism for returningthe carriage to its fully retracted position after it has been advancedtoward its extended position comprising a lever pivoted for swingingmovement about an axis and having a friction surface thereon, a tiltablecreeper link having a creeper element positioned in the path of movementof the friction surface and designed for frictional engagement with thesame during carriage return operations, means operatively connectingsaid link and carriage whereby advance movements of the carriage willcause the creeper link to become shifted to cause the creeper element tomove along said friction surface from a position adjacent the pivotalaxis of said lever outwardly of the lever, and record controlled meansfor moving said lever about its axis in one direction to cause positivefrictional engagement between the creeper element and friction surfaceof the lever to impart movement to the creeper link in such a directionas to restore the carriage to its retracted position from anyintermediate position or from the fully extended position thereof by adecelerating motion, said record controlled means comprising aone-revolution clutch having a driven element, a rotatable cam movablewith said driven element and a follower roller mounted on said lever anddesigned for engagement with said cam whereby the movements of said camare imparted to said lever.

CLYDE J. FITCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,524,148 Myers Jan. 27, 19251,606,126 Houston Nov. 9, 1926 2,066,978 Koca Jan. 5, 1937

